Vyacheslav Kozlov
Russian | birth_date = | birth_place = Voskresensk, U.S.S.R. | draft = 45th overall | draft_year = 1990 | draft_team = Detroit Red Wings | career_start = 1987 }} Vyacheslav "Slava" Anatolevich Kozlov (born May 3, 1972, in Voskresensk, U.S.S.R.) is a Russian ice hockey left winger and alternate captain who currently plays for the Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion (1997, 1998) from his years playing with the Detroit Red Wings. He has also played for the Buffalo Sabres and Atlanta Thrashers. Playing career Kozlov was drafted 45th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. Kozlov made his NHL debut on March 12, 1992, recording two assists in Detroit's 5–4 win over the St. Louis Blues. He became a regular player with Detroit in the 1993–94 NHL season. After the Red Wings acquired Igor Larionov in 1995, coach Scotty Bowman created a 5–man Russian unit (the "Russian Five") consisting of forwards Kozlov, Sergei Fedorov and Larionov, and defensemen Vladimir Konstantinov and Viacheslav Fetisov. This group helped Detroit to a Stanley Cup win in 1997. Kozlov played for Detroit until the summer of 2001, when he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in the trade that put Dominik Hašek in a Red Wings jersey. After one injury-shortened season in Buffalo, Kozlov was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers. Since the inception of the shootout into NHL play in 2005, Kozlov has been been known as one of the league's best scorers in the shootout. Kozlov re-signed with the Atlanta Thrashers on July 4, 2007, with a 3-year, $11–million contract. Kozlov played his 1000th NHL game on December 26, 2007, against the Columbus Blue Jackets and his former Russian Five teammate, Sergei Fedorov. After scoring only 41 points during the 2007–08 season, many thought his scoring touch had disappeared. However, he bounced back in 2008–09 with one of the best seasons of his career, scoring 26 goals and 76 points. Awards *1996–97 NHL Stanley Cup (Detroit Red Wings) *1997–98 NHL Stanley Cup (Detroit Red Wings) *2006–07 Dan Snyder Memorial Award Career statistics International play *Played for the Soviet Union in the 1988 European Junior Championships. *Played for the Soviet Union in the 1989 European Junior Championships. *Played for the Soviet Union in the 1990 World Junior Championships. *Played for the Soviet Union in the 1990 European Junior Championships. *Played for the Soviet Union in the 1991 World Junior Championships. *Played for the Soviet Union in the 1991 World Championships. *Played for the Soviet Union in the 1991 Canada Cup. *Played for Team Russia in the 1994 World Championships. *Played for Team Russia in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. International statistics References *2005 NHL Official Guide & Record Book ISBN 0-920445-91-8 External links * Category:Salavat Yulaev Ufa players Category:Dynamo Moscow players Category:Adirondack Red Wings players Category:Atlanta Thrashers players Category:Buffalo Sabres players Category:Detroit Red Wings draft picks Category:Detroit Red Wings players Category:Khimik Moscow Oblast players Category:Russian ice hockey players Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Born in 1972 Category:Ak Bars Kazan players Category:CSKA Moscow players